Quarterback Matt Nichols leaves Blue Bombers practice with injury

WINNIPEG — Blue Bombers starting quarterback Matt Nichols left practice with an injury on Wednesday, and the team said he would be evaluated by a doctor.

Nichols was stepping back to throw a pass late in practice when he fell to the turf without being touched by a teammate.

He lifted himself to one knee, tossed his helmet and rested for a few moments. With his arms around a trainer on either side of him, he then walked slowly off the field with a bit of a limp.

Winnipeg head coach Mike O’Shea said he didn’t see Nichols go down.

“At some point today, he’ll see the doctor and we’ll get good information and make decisions from there,” O’Shea said.

When asked about his level of concern, he replied “it’s way too early to comment on it.”

He said Nichols wasn’t scheduled to travel to B.C. for the team’s final pre-season game Friday.

Receiver Weston Dressler was running a route and didn’t see Nichols fall.

“We don’t know what the deal is right now yet, I haven’t been inside (the locker room) to see what the prognosis is, so you hope for the best,” Dressler said on the field after practice.

“It sucks that injuries are part of the game. I think, most importantly, you look at him like a friend and you feel bad for him. It’s not even about the team at that point. It’s a personal matter more than anything.”

Nichols had a breakout season in 2017, passing for 4,472 yards and 28 touchdowns while leading the Bombers to a 12-6 record.

He broke the ring finger on his throwing hand and strained a calf late in the campaign and missed the final regular-season game. He did play in a 39-32 loss to the Edmonton Eskimos in the CFL West Division semifinal.

The Bombers thought they had added veteran insurance behind him when they signed Darian Durant in the off-season, but he retired in early May.

The main hopefuls for the No. 2 spot are Alex Ross and Chris Streveler.

Ross has the most CFL experience. In four games with B.C. last season, he completed five of 12 pass attempts for 82 yards. He was 1 for 8 passing in Winnipeg’s exhibition victory over Edmonton last week.

Streveler, a grad from the University of South Dakota, completed all 10 of his pass attempts against the Eskimos for 140 yards with one touchdown.